Will Mercury Retrograde Affect Friendships? Here’s What You Should Look Out For

March 28, 2018/

Although Mercury retrograde is a universally feared astrological phenomenon, there’s something special about it this time around. From Mar. 23 to April 15, this retrograde will be in conjunction with Venus, ruler of love, romance, and affection. Your social life will be a central focus in its influence over your wellbeing and the way Mercury retrograde affects friendships will definitely blow your mind.

Aside from the communication woes, the technological mishaps, and way Mercury retrograde puts a damper on all your plans, we’re in for a seriously rude awakening. One way or another, you may be faced with old friends from the past. Whether you contact them or they contact you, you’ll be able to find a sense of closure from this relationship that has not yet completely expired. Maybe you’ll rekindle your bond. Perhaps you’ll be reminded of why the friendship had to fail.

You’ll also be forced to take a closer look at the friends you currently surround yourself with. One miscommunication could lead to another, and you may reevaluate whether or not your friends are truly a positive influence on your life. This may just be the confusion of Mercury retrograde talking — or it could be something much deeper. If you listen closely to the brays of your heart, you’ll know the answer.

There are people from your past you trusted completely and for whatever reason, they betrayed that trust. Whether they betrayed it vindictively or simply betrayed it by drifting away, the pain stings regardless. You can’t stop yourself from loving someone just because they couldn’t be there for you the way you needed them to. You care for them from a distance, while also resenting that distance at the same time. It’s difficult to write an ending for a story like this when, even though the friendship seems long gone, it also feels far from over.

It’s during this retrograde that you may finally be able to understand what went wrong. You might receive a strange text from a number you no longer recognize, only to find that it’s someone who once meant the world to you (and still might). You may even feel a bizarre instinct to reach out to them yourself, just to see how they’re doing. Either way, something meaningful will come out of your correspondence.

There’s a chance you may feel like an outsider amongst your group of friends right now. Perhaps you feel like no one’s on the same page as you, like no one gets you. You might feel like pushing people away. On the other hand, you may feel like pulling people close, hoping that all of this is in your head. Whether Mercury retrograde is playing games with you or merely unearthing some necessary truths, there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling this way.

You’re taking a step back from the comforts you normally rely on, including your friendships. From a distance, you can reevaluate your purest needs as an individual and ask yourself whether you’re surrounding yourself with people who truly make you happy. Sometimes we get sucked into social circles and we change who we are in order to fit in and keep up with appearances. Does this lead to true fulfillment of the self? Not usually. So take these thoughts with a grain of salt. By the time Mercury retrograde is over, you’ll have a more profound understanding of your heart.

On the other end of the spectrum is the type of friend you’ve been to others. We all complain about our friends, but most of us are oblivious to our own selfish tendencies. During Mercury in retrograde, those tendencies may become more apparent to you. It’s hard to expect respect from others while you might not reciprocate that same respect as well as you think you do. Friendship is always a two-way street. This retrograde might make you realize that you need to be a more considerate and understanding companion.

Don’t be hard on yourself. We’re all hyper-critical of everything during this time and not every criticism has merit. If you simply remain open to new perspectives and take the time to listen carefully to the words of others, you’re already doing a lot better than you were yesterday.